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A New Candidate for No. 1?

I mentioned last week that Mark Appel could become the first Cape League alum to go No. 1 overall in the MLB draft since 2006. A week into the college season, there’s another CCBL alum who’s getting some early buzz.

According to Baseball America, San Francisco’s Kyle Zimmer, who pitched for Cotuit last summer, was as impressive as any pitcher in the country last week. His fastball topped out at 99.

Zimmer went 2-5 for the Kettleers last year, with a 3.38 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 48 innings. He was named the No. 8 prospect in the league by Baseball America, but it’s looking like that may have just been the beginning for him.

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Happy Spring

We’re still about a month away from the first official day of spring, unless you’re like me and you prefer to observe the baseball calendar.

And baseball spring starts today.

From coast to coast (mostly in southern latitudes) college baseball teams are opening their seasons today. William & Mary is the northern-most team hosting a game in the Eastern part of the country. Out West, Seattle University is actually hosting a game.

But though baseball remains far away from here, this is the beginning. It’s coming.

A couple of notes for the start of baseball spring:

  • Vanderbilt vs. Stanford looks like the best series of opening weekend, and it’s one with plenty of Cape connections. Both teams have a lot of players ticketed for the Cape in 2012, including Vanderbilt’s Friday and Saturday starters, Kevin Ziomek and Tyler Beede. Both are on the Cotuit roster. Cape League 2011 cameo star Mark Appel is slated to go against Ziomek for Stanford on Friday night.

  • If you haven’t checked out all of Baseball America’s season preview content, you should go ahead and do that. All kinds of good stuff over there, including conference previews and features on 2011 CCBL MVP Travis Jankowski and Hyannis standouts Dan Gulbransen and Adam Brett Walker.

  • BA also has its All-America teams out, and the first team is dominated by Cape Leaguers. With Team USA’s shortened schedule last summer, the Cape had some extra talent, even if they were making cameos. That’s reflected on these All-America teams. Twelve of 15 first-teamers have played on the Cape, including 2011 stars Jankowski, Stephen Piscotty, Chris Beck and Victor Roache.

  • The extra talent is also likely to be reflected in the 2012 draft. The first 10 college players on BA’s top 100 draft prospects are all Cape League alums, and it’s possible that Mark Appel will become the first Cape Leaguer to go No. 1 overall since Luke Hochevar in 2006.

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    All-Star Game Headed to Harwich

    The league announced yesterday that the 2012 Cape Cod Baseball League All-Star Game will be played at Harwich’s Whitehouse Field on Saturday, July 28. It’ll be the first All-Star Game held on the Cape since 2008. The game was held at Fenway Park each of the last three years, but the league and the Red Sox couldn’t reconcile the schedule to make it work this year. The Red Sox will, however, have a “Cape League Day,” for their July 22 game, which will include the preliminary round of the CCBL’s home run derby.

    I never had a strong opinion either way about having the game at Fenway. I think it helped the game gain a little more exposure, but it also took it away from some of the diehards who watch all summer. The flip side will be true with it back on the Cape, but either way, it’ll still be a great day of baseball. It always is.

    The Mariners, defending Cape League champs, were chosen as All-Star hosts by a vote of the Cape League Executive Committee. It’ll be the first All-Star game in Harwich since 2002. Former Major Leaguer and current Japanese League star Matt Murton won the home run derby that year, while the West won the game 4-1